The majority of teenagers have NOT had sex before 19 as more postpone having intercourse

Abstaining: The number of teenage girls postponing having sex has increased to 57 per cent

The majority of teenagers have never had sex with an increasing number of them postponing having intercourse, according to a new study.

It was also found that more of the teenagers who are having sex use contraceptives.

Over the period 2006-2010, 57 percent of teenage girls aged 15-19 years had never had vaginal intercourse, an increase from 49 percent in 1995, said a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 60 per cent of the teenagers having sex said they were using hormonal birth control, such as the Pill, patches, the intrauterine device or injections, compared with 47 per cent in 1995.

White teenagers are more likely to regularly use contraception than Hispanics or African Americans, according to the nationally representative survey.